The Andre Johnson trade rumors have been the main story for the Houston Texans in recent weeks and after an ESPN report said the wide receiver wanted out of Texas, teams like the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens and NY Giants have been mentioned as teams that could be interested, while head coach Bill O'Brien said that talks between the two were positive.
Johnson was not present for the workouts this offseason for the Texans and he missed a voluntary minicamp with the team despite the fact that he was in Houston. The original report said that Johnson was unsure if he wanted to remain in Houston after playing his entire career there, as he is getting to the back stages of his professional career and is now on his third coach and a rebuilding team after being a playoffs contender two years ago. Johnson has not yet demanded a trade, but the report said that he does not have plans to attend the mandatory camp next month along with the organized team activities and without any progress on that front, a trade could be an option.
O'Brien spoke to reporters about the situation and said that he has great respect for Johnson and that things have been positive in conversations he has had with the receiver. Johnson is the career leader for the team in all receiving categories and he has been a productive and healthy player during his time in Houston. The team went 2-14 last season and that was a chock after many felt they would be Super Bowl contenders and now they are heading into the unknown with O'Brien. The team has Ryan Fitzpatrick, TJ Yates and Case Keenum on the roster art QB along with rookie Tom Savage and that has been another reason for Johnson's frustration.
Matt Schaub was traded away to the Oakland Raiders in the offseason and O'Brien has said that he is confident in Savage and Fitzpatrick heading into the spring workouts and into the summer. Johnson has only missed time over the last three seasons in 2011 when he had a season ending injury and other than that, he has missed three games since 2008 and has played in all 16 on the schedule in four of the last six seasons. Johnson was very productive last season despite the struggles of the team, making 109 catches for 1,407 yards and five touchdowns and now he could be on his way out of town.
A trade could be hard based on his salary and what teams would be interested, but the Texans could get a nice package for Johnson, who is considered one of the best receivers in the NFL. The Patriots could be motivated to make the move and could try to trade Danny Amendola back in the deal, as he is signed to a decent contract as well and played in just 12 games last season.
The Pats are in the mix along with the Niners even after they traded for Stevie Johnson and the main reason is the draft picks they have to trade. The Ravens and Cleveland Browns have also been mentioned, but Cleveland is likely out after signing Miles Austin and Earl Bennett to contracts. The team may lose Josh Gordon for the year and now at least have some depth at the position if that happens.